This happy party moment was made possible by outsourcing.  “I’m just not the kind of person who spends money on that.” When it comes to spending, we all have some kind of baseline for what we think is normal. And when we see someone spending in a way that doesn’t fit our “normal,” it can […]

This past winter, when I was already starting to suspect that spending money on experiences would be more rewarding than buying new clothes, I spent my Shopping for Happiness money for the month on a future trip: an airline ticket to Venice. I couldn’t believe it was really going to happen– but last month, the day […]

If you click over to my “I bought this” page, I’ve put up some pictures of my Shopping for Happiness purchases for March. Clothes will come and go but by far the best thing I bought was my ticket to the surprise Piano and a Microphone show Prince performed in Toronto on Good Friday, April […]

Apparently money really can buy happiness – if you spend it in a way that matches your personality. That’s the conclusion of a new study out of Cambridge University (in cooperation with a bank) that paired up subjects’ personality and happiness tests with their bank transaction records. The findings weren’t too surprising:  “People gene

Life requires experts, and experts cost money. Here are some experts whose services I’ll be buying in April: THIS PRICY Kohler Karbon faucet WAS MY BEST-EVER SPLURGE FROM MY PRE-SHOPPING FOR HAPPINESS LIFE. AFTER SIX YEARS OF DAILY USE, I STILL THINK IT’S STUNNING. FAUCET DARLING, I COULD NEVER BEGRUDGE ANY MONEY SPENT ON YOU! A lawyer

I know next to nothing about Feng Shui, but enough visitors have commented that my home’s cluttered entranceway has “bad Feng Shui” that I’ve looked into what that might mean. I didn’t think pushing past piles of shoes and boots, baskets of partner-less mittens, kids’ backpacks and ukulele cases was a good way to enter or [&

Since I started Shopping for Happiness last fall, I’ve become much more comfortable buying some big-ticket items, like a ticket to Venice – I’m going in May! – and a new handbag. But I’ve noticed another change: I’m also more comfortable spending small sums on things I used to deny myself, and it’s making my life a […]

 “What shall I spend money on this month?” I asked my husband. He’s been wholly supportive of my Shopping for Happiness project — but this time, instead of weighing in on, say, shoes versus gym bag, he had a critique for me.  “If you’re having trouble finding something, the problem may be that you’ve restricted […]

I wore my mom’s diamond ring to work this week. It actually belonged to my grandmother, who died just months before I was born (I’m named after her), and I was quite young when my mom first told me the ring’s origin story. There are two salient points: my grandmother bought it for herself— and […]

In the spirit of seeing what kind of thrills I can get for my money, I gave the casino a spin. Here’s my short report on the outcome.